Gone Forever
by Fangfairy
Summary: Fang promised that he would meet Max "20 years from now". Well, the day is finally here. How will it go? Oneshot.


**AN: So… yeah. Basically this is my interpretation of how I think the whole "20 years later" thing would go down… do not judge. Let's just use our imaginations and pretend that ANGEL didn't happen. Blah, blah, blah, disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer… no, seriously, I don't own nothin' but the writing. Enjoy (hopefully)!**

I had been here since one in the morning. Call me paranoid, but I couldn't stand the thought of him showing up to find no one. So I came first thing this morning.

My heart pounded and I had some major butterflies. No, not butterflies. More like freaking helicopters. I had been waiting for this day for the past twenty years. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. It didn't work.

Okay, so allow me to update you guys on what's happened in my life. We continued with regular life, so basically we jumped from place to place, trying to survive. We're all still together, minus Fang, of course. Iggy is a chef in New York, where we all live, and he's doing a great job. He's in the news a lot, what with him being blind _and_ a bird-kid- sorry, bird-_man_- and all. Nudge and Angel work with fashion, Nudge a designer and Angel as a model. Yeah, little Angel is a model. I know. It's scary. Gazzy is a high school science teacher, and I pray every day for those poor children that he's put in charge of every day. Dylan works at Abercrombie. I saw that one coming. As for me, I'm just working at a diner. Nothing too elaborate.

I wondered what he was going to look like. We were freaking thirty-five now. I started fantasizing about his life. Maybe he was some sort of businessman. Naw, that's not Fang- or at least the Fang I knew.

That was what scared me the most- _the Fang I knew._ He could be completely different now. What if he wasn't as quiet? What if he had changed? What would I say to him? It might be like meeting a complete stranger, even though I spent fifteen years with him.

A horrific thought struck me, and it felt like someone had dropped a rock into the pit of my stomach. _What if he was married?_ I had always assumed he wouldn't age- that he'd still be the fifteen year old boy I had loved so many years ago. But it was possible he had moved on. It was possible that he had met some girl, fallen in love, and replaced me. Oh, God. Maybe he had _kids._ That was a sickening thought. I mean, I had secretly planned out our lives together when we were fourteen, when everything was good, and decided that maybe, just maybe, if we lived that long, maybe Fang and I could get married and have kids of our own one day. But I don't think I was prepared for the possibility that he actually, you know, had a _life_.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe he forgot about me. Maybe he had thought I had forgotten, and he wasn't even going to bother showing up. Maybe he had all the same fears I did- that maybe I was married and had kids. Maybe-

I felt a hand lightly touch my shoulder, cupping it. I gasped, tears welling in my eyes. I didn't dare turn around. He was really _here._ Fang came back for me.

"Max." He said, his voice saying my name like a shot of adrenaline through the heart. Oh, my God. What do I do? Okay, Max. Play it cool. Play it-

"Fang!" I squealed like a little kid on Christmas, turning around and throwing myself into his arms. He held me close, and I sobbed into his shirt. "You came!"

"After all this time…" He said. His voice hadn't changed at all. He still had the same deep, mysterious softness that I had grown to know so well.

"I can't believe it's really you!" I bawled like a baby. _He came back._

"I've missed you so much…" He said, releasing me all too soon. I took his hand. He looked at me funny, like he didn't really know how to react, but he didn't pull away.

"So how have you been? What do you do?" I asked, sitting down on the edge of the cliff. He sat down beside me.

"I'm fine. I've basically been doing the same thing we did before. You know, kicking butt and stuff." He said in his Fang-ish charm. "And of course, the ladies still love me." Oh, yeah. There's that charm again.

"You haven't changed a bit." I smiled, feeling surprisingly comfortable despite the situation.

"Neither have you. How's the flock? Is everyone still…?" He asked his tone a bit anxious.

"Yeah, we're all good. Iggy's a chef. Not even a terrorist or anything." I said jokingly. "You probably know all about that though. We're in the news from time to time." By time to time, I mean basically every week.

"Yeah. But how are you? Are you and Dylan… together, or…?" He asked, trying and failing to mask his curiosity.

"No. I'm not married or anything. Not even a boyfriend. You?" I asked, a beam of hope igniting inside me.

"Not really, no." He said, to my relief.

"Oh." I said, not really knowing what to do.

"Yeah." He said awkwardly.

"We live in New York, if you want to like, visit or…" I hinted, thinking about how amazingly perfect it would be if I brought Fang back.

"No. I can't." He said, and my hope shattered into a million pieces. He was doing this to me again?

"What? Why the heck not?" I asked, stunned by his response.

"I'm being hunted, Max. I have to stay on the move. Which is why I was hoping that maybe…" He trailed off.

"You want me to go with you?" I asked. He nodded. My heart broke as I responded. "I'm so sorry. But I can't leave the flock. They're my family. I know they can take care of themselves now, but… no. I'm so sorry." I said, tears streaming down my face in a river of shattered hopes.

"I see." He said sadly, getting to his feet.

"What are you doing?" I asked, standing up and following him.

"I have to leave. Being in one place for too long is dangerous. For you and me. I'm sorry. But if I'm ever in New York…" He said, stepping closer to me. By this point, I just felt numb all over. To my surprise, I smiled at him.

"You're always welcome." He smiled back, and walked calmly to the edge of the cliff, unfolding his wings. They were just as beautiful as I remembered. "Fang?" I called, stopping him. He turned.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"I love you. I always will. And… if I never see you again… see you on the other side. I'll… I'll never forget you." I said, too broken to even cry.

Without a word, he walked over and kissed me. Right on the mouth. Just like he used to. I wish he would stay with me like this for eternity. But I knew in my heart that he had to go.

"Goodbye, Maximum." He said, stroking my hair. Without another word, he took a flying leap off the cliff. I watched as he disappeared into the horizon. And he was gone. Just like that. Possibly forever.

I smiled in spite of myself, and looked down at the ring I kept on my ring finger of my right hand. The promise ring he had given me twenty years ago. It glistened in the sunlight, and I kissed it before taking off into the setting sun, in the opposite direction Fang had gone in. I sighed, sliding the ring off my finger.

"Goodbye, Fang." I whispered, dropping it into the trees below. Now it was gone forever, just like Fang.

**AN: That ending made me cry while I was writing it… I'm too soft for Fang. Leave a review, please, and feel free to check out my other stories (self-advertising, much?) Especially my story "Illusion", which is my favourite story I have written even though it has no reviews… (hint, hint.)**


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